Zingy Shrimp Salad

Should I extoll the virtues of shrimp, the versatility, how you can sauté, fry, broil, grill, or boil it? How it’s just as good breaded, deep fried, and dipped in cocktail sauce (which, let’s admit, is just dressed up ketchup) as it is marinated and grilled to perfection? Should I recount memories of peeling fresh shrimp, bought from a stand in downtown Tromsø, Norway, hands itching from the salt water and juices seeping into my weather-cracked fingers? Should I confess that every time I see popcorn shrimp on a menu, I’m tempted—even if the restaurant shouldn’t be serving seafood? Or perhaps this time it’s just simple: I was in the mood for a salad, and I wanted it to be zingy and zany and delicious. So I made one.

Directions

Combine oil, red pepper flakes, and mint, then add shrimp (thawed if using frozen) and toss to coat. Slide shrimp on skewers and broil for 5-8 minutes, until pink and opaque, flipping halfway through. Remove and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Spiralize the cucumber. If you don’t have a spiralizer, cut it into thin strips using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Add to the bowl with the dressing, along with the arugula; toss to coat. Halve, stone, and peel the avocado, and cut each half into even slices. Peel the grapefruit and remove the segments from the membranes. Slice the kumquats into rounds.

Divide the cucumber mixture between two salad bowls. Arrange avocado slices, grapefruit segments, and kumquat rounds evenly. Top with shrimp, and sprinkle with sprouts and snipped basil. Drizzle over any remaining dressing.

Hi! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 I’m thinking some tangerine or clementine segments with a few thin strips of the peel as well. I like kumquats because you can eat the whole rind, and it provides this sweet/tangy/sour taste. If you’re not as much into sour, then just add the clementine segments (after all, there’s already grapefruit!) but if you’re into the whole tang thing, I think a touch a peel as well (without any pith) would do the trick 🙂